The imagery drew an initial round of praise before a second wave of commentary shifted the focus entirely away from the bag and onto Gauff’s appearance, particularly her hair texture. Critics described the look as unpolished, and some drew comparisons to imagery from the Civil Rights era, a framing that drew its own sharp response from others online.
Why Gauff took a month away and what she found when she returned
Gauff had stepped back from TikTok and social media platforms for about a month before the campaign reaction pulled her back in. She returned to find thousands of posts dissecting her appearance, many of them negative. On April 10, she posted an eight-minute video addressing the criticism directly.
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In it, she explained her decision not to slick her hair back tightly, citing the physical damage that style causes to her hair type. As someone who wears her hair in a bun frequently because of her profession, she said that the bun seen in the Miu Miu campaign was not unusual or unconsidered. It was simply how she wears her hair.
She identified herself as having 4C hair, a curl classification associated with a tight, densely coiled texture that is common among Black women and that has historically been the target of professional and social policing. Her point was direct: the styling choice she made was one informed by the health of her hair, not by carelessness.
The broader argument Gauff made
Beyond defending her own choices, Gauff widened the conversation to address what the criticism represents. She has spoken publicly in the past about struggling with her appearance, and in this video she returned to that ground with specificity. She said that for two days after seeing the responses, she felt genuinely affected by what she read.
Her response ultimately shifted from personal to collective. She addressed young Black girls with similar hair textures directly, telling them that if her 4C hair was considered acceptable by a high-fashion luxury brand for a major campaign launch, then their hair is good enough for whatever they need it to do.
She also pushed back on the premise that the critics held any authority on the matter, framing their behavior as a reflection of their own insecurity rather than a legitimate judgment of her appearance. She has previously partnered with Carol’s Daughter and New Balance specifically around natural hair care, making this particular line of criticism land on ground she has already staked out publicly.
Where Gauff stands heading into the clay season
Gauff is the reigning Roland Garros champion and is scheduled to compete at the Porsche Tennis Grand Prix beginning April 13. She closed the video by signaling that she was ready to move past the conversation and redirect her attention toward the clay-court season, a stretch of the calendar she has described as one of her favorites.
The Miu Miu campaign remains active. The debate it ignited has not quieted as quickly.
